Mixed Up Realities

Warning! The following
content is about to take you into the 3rd dimension. We hope that
the terms used won’t get you lost in time and space.

The
definition of reality is as simple as being what is real and what exists. But
things are not as simple to define when it comes to Virtual Reality (VR),
Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR). As Dr. Chady ABOU JAOUDÉ, Director of
the Faculty of Engineering
at Université Antonine explains, those 3 types of
technologies are more powerful than ever and they are about to forever change
the way we view reality.

VIRTUAL REALITY

Though there were many
attempts in history to create Virtual Reality, it was only in the 1990s that
the term became concrete and familiar to the public, thanks to a few devices
that were finally being tested in the market. With the help of a headset
equipped with LCD screens and powered by a computer, gaming console or a mobile
phone, anyone can now jump into the “other world”. Thanks to specialized
software and sensors, the experience becomes your reality, especially that you can now
move around in space while the image rendering works in real time.

The keyword in VR is Presence as its main goal is to
transport us from the real world to a virtual one that looks as real as can be.
It’s the technology that is set to see big
consumer releases within the next year, in devices like Facebook’s Oculus Rift,
Sony’s Project Morpheus and the Samsung Gear VR. Dr. ABOU JAOUDÉ invites
those interested to the Faculty of Engineering
offices where they can try Virtual Reality by wearing a helmet that will take
them on full 3D tour of Université Antonine.

AUGMENTED REALITY

Augmented reality is
perhaps not as fun, but definitely more useful, because it allows you to add
digital information to any physical object without the need of an extra device.
This makes its potential market bigger than the VR market. With the help of
applications, you can scan your mobile phone on items in order to get a pop up
(sound, video, graphics or GPS data)
with details about that item. The colAR
application for instance brings a kid’s drawing to life; InkHunter lets
you try a tattoo on your skin; Yelp comes in handy for tourists who can
find nearby facilities by pointing their phone to the street they are on. The list
goes on and on.

As we
speak, there is a major buzz around "augmented reality" thanks to the
smartphone game Pokémon Go which has conquered the world last month. The
game, which is mainly designed around maps, lets players find and catch
characters from Nintendo's Pokémon game, in the real world. They enter an
augmented reality mode in order to find their targets on their phone screens,
superimposed over the real world. Although AR’s keyword is utility, this proves
that it can also be fun.

MIXED REALITY

This 3rd
type of reality is simply the best of both worlds, as it attempts to
incorporate VR and AR into one concept. It is the youngest and least popular of
all three, but once user friendly, it will take over the globe by storm. Why?
Because of its’ endless possibilities, but also, because it’s the technology
that is set to give the best illusion of reality. The virtual objects you see
through mixed reality can change dimensions depending on the angle and the distance
to look at them.

Remember
Tom Cruise in Minority Report? He was wearing futuristic glasses that allowed
him to add a virtual space to his own world and move things around as he liked
with the simple movements of his hands.

In
theory, mixed reality lets you see the real world (your office), while also
seeing believable, virtual objects (your virtual desktop). And then it anchors
those virtual objects to a point in real space, making it possible for you to
treat them as "real," at least from your perspective.

Are you
mixed up yet? Don’t worry, Dr. ABOU JAOUDÉ predicts that soon enough, this will
all be part of our daily life, if we look at how fast the industry is moving in
reality!